[Tango-L] No place left to dance

[Tom Stermitz]

As the organizer for the Denver & San Diego festivals, I can reassure  
you that the concept of festivals for social dancing remains: "By  
Dancers; for Dancers". The milongas are arranged for social dancing:  
good djs, rectangular dance floor with tables and chairs around the  
periphery, tandas of traditional social tango, and cortinas for  
partner changing.

For Larry: Navigation is never as good as we would like; It's not  
really as bad as we fear; there are often a few loose cannons;  
tolerance helps.

For Ron: Homer Ladas is famous as a skillful nuevo dancer. He is also  
extremely good at navigation and social dancing. Jaimes Friedgen is  
not far behind. Brigitta Winkler has studied extensively with Gustavo,  
has a long history at performance dance, and was instrumental in the  
introduction of milonguero to the US and Europe.

So, yes, all three are famous for their nuevo talent, yet all three  
are extremely good social dancers.

LOOK.

There are good navigators and bad navigators, no matter what style.  
I'm well known as a milonguero teacher and organizer, but the  
navigation issue is about social dancing, and context (class, stage,  
practice, milonga), not style. The good nuevo dancers all know how to  
dance socially and courteously in the milonga context.

I agree that the loose cannons can be irritating, but I have noticed a  
steady maturation of skill at the festivals over the years.

I've also noticed as steady decline of navigation skill and courtesy  
in Buenos Aires milongas since I first went there almost 15 years ago.


On Oct 19, 2009, at 10:37 PM, RonTango wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----
>> From: Larry Richelli <larryrichy at yahoo.com>
>>
>> This is good. I just wish we could have separate festivals. For  
>> instance, Denver
>> is advertised as a close embrace festival but man, it is not longer  
>> this way.
>> You have two or three guys that can dance open nuevo pretty good  
>> and 20 other
>> guy that want to be just like them that can't. This has really  
>> screwed up this
>> festival and the line of dance, even though they have an alt  
>> milonga on one
>> afternoon.
>
> I've been to Denver twice, in 2004 and 2005, and to San Diego in  
> 2007 (same festival concept). Navigation was pretty good in Denver  
> the times I went, but some of the locals in San Diego didn't realize  
> it was a festival for social dancing rather than showing how well  
> you could weave quickly in and out of the line of dance. Now San  
> Diego 2010 has 2 prominent nuevo instructors scheduled. One has to  
> wonder if Denver will follow suit. It's beginning to look like there  
> may no longer be any festivals in the US where a tango milonguero  
> dancer can find solitude away from the nuevo invasion. It looks like  
> we will have no other option than to go to Buenos Aires to find  
> milongas with a supportive social dancing atmosphere. That wouldn't  
> be bad if it weren't so far away.
>
> Ron

Tom Stermitz
http://www.tango.org
Denver, CO 80207